Hopper-bottom car.



PATENTED MAR. l0, 1903.

J. HANSEN. HOPPER BOTTOM GAR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 9. 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No MDEL.

,am l

we Ncnms PETERS co. vnorournu.. wAsHmmou. n. c.

PATENTBD MAR. l0, 1903.

J. HANSEN.

HOPPER BOTTGM GAR.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. s. 1902.

NO MODEL.

INI/ENTOR No- 722,299- PATENTBD MAR.10,1903. J. M. HANSEN.

HOPPER BOTTM CAR.

ArrLxonIox rILED JAN. 9. 1902,

N0 MODEL. @l SHEETS-SHEET 3' [NVENTOR UNTTn STATT-35 PATENT- Fries.

JOHN M. HANSEN, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

HOPPER-BOTTOVI CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 722,299, dated March 10, 1903.

Application iiled January 9, 1902. Serial No. 89,058. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it 'Jn/(ty concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN M. HANSEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Hopper-Bottom Cars, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to steel cars, so called,of the hopper-bottom variety,and more particularly designed for carrying ore; and the objects of the invention are, broadly stated, tWofold-namely, first, to provide a body having fewer number of parts, whereby an economy in construction is effected without sacrifice of strength, and, second, to provide an efficient door-operating mechanism.

In carrying out the invention I use any approved form of underframe, preferably one of pressed-steel parts, upon which is erected thc2body. The inclined side floor-sheets and chutes of each side of the body are made of a single piece bent to shape, with attached vertical sides,and there are inclined end floorsheets with attached vertical ends, the sides being connected with the side sills or underframe by diagonal braces and vertical braces and the ends being provided With vertical corner-braces and intermediate vertical braces connecting them with the underframe. The body is divided transversely by a hood having open ends at the sides of the car, and within this hood is erected an equalizing positively-acting door-operating mechanism comprising a shaft having a sprocket-Wheel or other power transmitting device suitably connected with a hand-wheel, preferably ar-` ranged at one end of the car, and this shaft is supplied with an eccentric device connected by suitable links with the equalizing member, which latter in turn is connected with a pair of doors hinged at the bottom of the chute and opening away from each other, the eccentric and links being so arranged as to be self-locking when the doors are closed.

Having thus stated the principle of my invention, I will proceed now to describe the best mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle and then will particularly point out and distinctly claim the part,

improvement, or combination which I claim as my invention.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly designated,

Figure 1 is a top plan View. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is a half end View and half central vertical cross-section on a larger scale. Fig. 4E is a central longitudinal section of a little over half of the car. Fig. 5 is a side elevation, and Fig. 6 is a plan View, of a part of the door-operating mechanism, including the main sprocket and eccentric. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of one form of the eccentriclinks forming part of the door-operating mechanism. Fig. 8 is an edge view of said links. Fig. 9 is a plan view of a modied form of part ot the door-operating mechanism, and Fig. 10 is a side view of portions of the eccentric-links for use in connection with the modiiication of Fig. 9.

The side sills 1, end sills 2, holsters 3, draftrigging sills 4E, and diagonal braces 5, connecting the holsters and end sills, may be of any usual or preferred construction, and the center sills 6, extending from bolster to bolster, are spaced apart sufciently to permit the projection of the hopper-bottom through the underframe and the exposure of its chute below such underframe, all as, for example, common in the standard work of the Pressed Steel Gar Company.

The body is composed of side sheets, each having the inclined floor portion 7 and the vertical chute portion 8, made of a single continuous piece bent to shape. The vertical portions 9 of the sides are made of one or more separate pieces and provided with [langes 10, upon which the upper edges of the inclined portions 7 of the sides rest and to which they are riveted. The upper portions of the vertical sides 9 are provided with the outwardly-extending or horizontal reinforcing rim-flanges 1l.

The ends of the body comprise inclined chute-plates 12, having reinforcing anglepieces 13 extending transversely across their lower ends, the single -piece inclined end sheets 14, and the vertical end plates 15, having the supporting-flanges 16, to which are ICO riveted the end sheets, and also having the horizontal rim-flanges 17.

The end sheets or side sheets at their line of juncture with one another are flanged and riveted together.

It is within my invention to make the vertical portions of the sides in one piece or integral with the parts 7 and 8 and also to make each entire end of a single sheet.

By this construction of body the number of parts to be riveted together is reduced at a gain of economy in construction and without any decrease or impairment of strength and durability and fewer rivets are required in assembling the parts.

It will be observed by comparing Figs. 3 and 4 that the longitudinal sides of the chute or hopper proper are vertical, while their ends are inclined. It will also be observed that the chute or hopper proper is supported upon the center sills and projects between them through the underframe and below the same, so as to get as low down a discharge as possible consistent with the opening of the doors and the height of the trucks.

The sides of the car are pierced transversely by means of a vertical hood open from end to end at the sides of the car and composed of similar plates 18, bent over and meeting at top and forming a closed top 19, and these plates are provided with lateral anges 20, by means of which they are riveted to the side floor-sheets and sides of the chute of the car, and they are also provided with top flanges 2l, riveted together. It may be advantageous to apply wings 22, projecting inwardly from the sides of the car and riveted to the sides of the car on their vertical edges, with their lower horizontal edges riveted in between the anges 2l of the hood, and these wings may serve as partial partitions and also as reinforcing devices for the sides of the car and for the hood. This hood practically divides the hopper proper or chute into two compartments, and. the lower edges of the sides 18 form bearings for the ends ofthe doors when closed.

23 represents the doors, hinged at 24 to the bottom of the hopper or to the edges of the vertical sides of the hopper and extending longitudinally of the car and adapted to open away from one another, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 3. In order to reinforce these doors, they may be provided with longitudinal hollow ribs 25. Each door is provided with a hinged link 26, suspended from opposite ends of an equalizing-bar 27, which in turn is suspended from a link 28, having a curved upper end 29, which is connected by a link 30 with an eccentric 3l, mounted upon the winding-shaft or door-operating shaft 32. 'This shaft 32 is mounted in bearings 33, secured to the vertical walls of the hood. The shaft may be and preferably is and is here shown in one piece with the eccentric 3l and the sprocket-wheel 34, and the whole may be made as a single casting. The eccentric 31 has a hole 35, in which the link 30 is pivoted, and said eccentric is made with a depression 36, in which the said link 30 plays and against the bottom of which it comes into solid contact when the parts are moved into the position shown in Fig. 3 for closing the doors, and it will be Observed that by virtue of this eccentricity of arrangement the doors will be positively locked by the connecting-link mechanism. In order to permit a straight link 28, such as shown in Fig. 7, to pass the dead-center as far as possible in closing the doors, the hub of the sprocket-wheel (including shaft 32) is recessed at 37, and into this recess the said link 28 plays.. Instead of this construction, which involves the breaking of the continuity of the shaft 32, I may make such shaft continuous, as shown in Fig. 9, and provide a recess 33 in the eccentric 3l, and instead of using a straight link provide a link 39, Fig. 10, with an offset 40, which will embrace the shaft and still permit the link to pass the dead-center.

The sprocket-wheel 34 is connected by a chain 4l with a sprocket-wheel 42 on a shaft 43, which is mounted in bearings 44 on one of the side plates and extends to one end of the car and is there supplied with a handwheel 45, by which said sprocket-wheel, and consequently the sprocketchain, will be moved and the sprocket-wheel 34 actuated to move the links 28 and 30, and` thereby operate the doors. transmitting power to the shaft 32 and for operation of the eccentric-links may be employed; but it is believed that the hand-wheel, chain, and sprocket-gearing will be found most ecient, as well as economical.

It will be observed that the door-operating mechanism is wholly protected from contact with the load and is also in al very practical manner protected from atmospherical infinences, and hence its condition of usefulness is always maintained. As the ends of the hood are open, said hood extending through the sides of the car, access can be had at all times to the door-operating mechanism for repairs or replacement of parts. It will be noted also that in the operation of this dooractuating mechanism the eccentric-links are permitted to travel slightly past the deadcenter, so that when the doors are closed no dependence is placed upon the power-transmitting mechanism to hold them in closed position; but, on the contrary, the tendency is under stress of the load to increase the security of the locking of the doors, and the entire weight is thrown on theeccentric portion of the sprocket.

The car-body is braced in any suitable manner with relation to the underframe; but the construction I prefer is as follows: The vertical sides have attached to them the upright posts, stakes, or braces 46, and these are also riveted or otherwise secured to the side sills,

Any other suitable means foril IOO IIO

and between these braces and connected to the vertical sides of the car and to the side sills are diagonal braces 47. The ends are provided with transverse Vertical braces 48, erected above the bolsters and riveted to them and to the end floor-sheets, and there are corner-posts 49 and intermediate vertical end braces 50, both the corner-posts and the end braces being secured to the ends of the car and to the underframe.

As already indicated, the constituent parts of the car body and underframe preferably are of pressed-steel shapes; but I do not wish to be understood as limiting my invention to the use of that form of material. The advantages of pressed steel, however, are at this time so well known that that material may be readily seen to be the preferredl material of construction.

While it is perfectly feasible to depend upon the eccentricity of the door-operating mechanism to hold the doors in closed position, it is within my invention to apply-for example, to the winding-shaft 43-any suitable paWl-and-ratchet or other locking mechanism. In this particular it is the main purpose of my invention to provide a door-operating mechanism of as simple a construction as possible and operating positively and wholly removed from possible contact with the load and possible deran gement by the load.

vVhat I claim is- 1. A hopper-bottom car, having its body pierced transversely by a vertical hood arranged between and secured to its sides, open at its ends outside of the car and closed at its top, combined with hinged doors adapted to close against the bottom of said hood, and

door-operating mechanism arranged within said hood and accessible from the outside of the car on either side.

2. In a hopper-bottom car, a body of substantially the construction described, having a hood arranged transversely therein and provided with hanged edges secured to the body, the ends of said hood opening through the sides of the body and its interior thus rendered accessible from the outside of the car, and having a closed top, combined with hinged doors adapted to close against the bottom of the hood, and door-operating mechanism arranged within the hood and accessible from outside the car.

3. In a door-operating mechanism for cars, a pair of oppositely-moving doors, an equalizer applied to said doors, a link supporting said equalizer, van eccentric linked to said link, and means to actuate the said eccentric to open and close the doors simultaneously, and to hold them closed by virtue of its eccentricity.

4. In a hopper-bottom car, a body of substantially the construction described, having bottom doors, a hood arranged transversely of said body and open at its ends at the sides of the car, bearings arranged within said hood, an eccentric su pported in said bearings, links connecting said eccentric with the doors, and means to actuate said eccentric to open and close the doors.

In testimony whereof:` I have hereunto set my hand this 7th day of January, A. D. 1902.

JOHN M. HANSEN.

Witnesses:

CHAs. F. CHUBB, WM. BIERMAN. 

